Teetering on the brink

NanookOfTheNorth

Hi EatingBeans

For food have you looked at Too Good To Go ?  Its an app where you can buy food for a few pounds and usually collect from store the next day. Collection times vary so check the app.  It'll vary by store where you never know what you're actually going to get so some trials probably needed for your local stores and supermarkets.  I've had some great bags/boxes of things from Morrisons for their grocery £3.09 (for £10 worth of food) and bakery bags £2 (for £6 worth of food).  I've tried Aldi in the past and they tend to put in food for use by that day which is fine but collection times are quite late, but Morrisons grocery bag has plenty of fruit and veg, and the bakery bag usually a couple of loaves, croissants, donts, cobs etc.  Also good for freezing so if the bread is a bit past its best, it still makes great toast.  There may be other supermarkets near you.    If you're in for a treat then try the Greggs bag - it's has donuts, filled baguettes, sausage rolls etc.  Its all a gamble what you actually get but may be worth a try.

Have a look at https://www.toogoodtogo.com/

It wont stop you doing a normal shop, but it may help reduce it a bit with a grocery bag.

Andyjflet

EatingBeans said:

Aw thanks @Andyjflet I do try. ☺️

Thankfully my daughter just needs waterproof trousers, gaitors(on the essential list which seems a bit overkill to me but hey), and a whistle. My plan is to buy a dog whistle and gaitors that I can use afterwards for dog walking, both of which have been on my wishlist for a long time - killing two birds with one stone, and then the cheapest pair of waterproof trousers I can find. We have, or can borrow, literally everything else. 😁

Did I really read your signature right… £65,000 saved as an emergency fund?!! 😱 I am wondering what step 7 is? 

I have actually put £45k into buying a new apartment which eventually I will rent out as I live with my partner. Needs updating but my emergency fund is just short of £20k. Mostly built up from a house sale and savings during Covid.

The babysteps I followed are the 7 Baby Steps programme.

Dave Ramseys baby steps (UK version)

• Baby Step 0 – Create a budget
• Baby Step 1 – Create your emergency fund  £1000
• Baby Step 2 – Pay off all your non mortgage debts, snowball method
• Baby Step 3 – Save a fully funded emergency fund, 3-6 months salary
• Baby Step 4 – Invest in your pension
• Baby Step 5 – Fund your children’s education - all grown up now
• Baby Step 6 – Pay off your mortgage - long way off that ;-(
• Baby Step 7- Invest & Be Generous

I would go to Decathlon or FB market place for the DOE items, sounds like its in hand, I remember doing the DOE and its important and I wondered if I had anything that might be useful, but I doubt it at 6ft3 and fully grown male lol

EatingBeans

Thanks fir the tip @NanookOfTheNorth ! 

I hadn’t heard of Too good to go before but I have now signed up as the Aldi and Greggs which are just up the road both seem to be on this. 😁

I am looking forward to trying it out!

EatingBeans

Andyjflet said:

EatingBeans said:

Aw thanks @Andyjflet I do try. ☺️

Thankfully my daughter just needs waterproof trousers, gaitors(on the essential list which seems a bit overkill to me but hey), and a whistle. My plan is to buy a dog whistle and gaitors that I can use afterwards for dog walking, both of which have been on my wishlist for a long time - killing two birds with one stone, and then the cheapest pair of waterproof trousers I can find. We have, or can borrow, literally everything else. 😁

Did I really read your signature right… £65,000 saved as an emergency fund?!! 😱 I am wondering what step 7 is? 

I have actually put £45k into buying a new apartment which eventually I will rent out as I live with my partner. Needs updating but my emergency fund is just short of £20k. Mostly built up from a house sale and savings during Covid.

The babysteps I followed are the 7 Baby Steps programme.

Dave Ramseys baby steps (UK version)

• Baby Step 0 – Create a budget
• Baby Step 1 – Create your emergency fund  £1000
• Baby Step 2 – Pay off all your non mortgage debts, snowball method
• Baby Step 3 – Save a fully funded emergency fund, 3-6 months salary
• Baby Step 4 – Invest in your pension
• Baby Step 5 – Fund your children’s education - all grown up now
• Baby Step 6 – Pay off your mortgage - long way off that ;-(
• Baby Step 7- Invest & Be Generous

I would go to Decathlon or FB market place for the DOE items, sounds like its in hand, I remember doing the DOE and its important and I wondered if I had anything that might be useful, but I doubt it at 6ft3 and fully grown male lol

Oh @Andyjflet the thought of her trying to walk anywhere in kit sized for a 6ft3 man really did make me chuckle! 🤣 Thanks for the laugh!

And however you divide it up I still think your savings are ultra impressive! 

The baby steps were new to me too! Thanks for sharing. I feel like I am learning so much from all you wonderful folks in just the few days since joining the MSE forum. Needless to say I am just at step 1! But hey, at least I already had a budget right?! Haha 

EatingBeans

£26.33 paid for the DofE stuff from ebay. If I had used Amazon the lowest price I could have got it was £33.74, so £7.41 saved. To top it off I went to ebay via Topcashback, so, assuming I jumped through the right hoops, I think I should also get £15 cashback. 🤞😁

I’ve also signed up to YouGov and completed a few surveys on there to start earning points. And signed up to Lidl plus, and the Aldi newsletter, as I figure that will give me more options once I can leave the house again. For now I have just ordered my usual Morrisons shop through Topcashback to see if i can gain anything that way. 

I am working on the principle that every little bit helps! 🤣

NanookOfTheNorth

It all helps!  For Morrisons keep an eye on the web site HotUKDeals, quite regularly there are codes for a discount on a shop, in the past it might have been something like a £5 off £20 spend, or £10 of 40 spend.  Most recent is £10 off a £60 spend but could help if you stock up on long life/tinned/frozen things.

https://www.hotukdeals.com/search?q=morrisons

For example one scroll down on this search to the one posted on 18 December.

EatingBeans

Thanks @NanookOfTheNorth Another app to add to my growing collection! 👍

EatingBeans

Last item for DofE purchased off ebay. Waterproof trousers that actually match my dd’s waterproof coat that she loves. Haggled down to £10! I am keeping it as a surprise as I know it will make her really happy. 😁

EatingBeans

Another step in the right direction this evening. 

I sorted through and listed every bit of food in the house that’s “mine” so that I could “shop from the cupboards” first. It amused my dd no end as she pointed out that I have more ingredients than her but by far less actual meals - though she had just come back from doing her shopping at Aldi so it didn’t feel like a fair comparison!

Needless to say I was delighted to find a lamb shank in mint gravy buried in the bottom of the freezer and thoroughly enjoyed it with some veg and new potatoes for dinner. 😍

Meal plan sorted, shopping delivery updated (booked via Topcashback of course). 👍

I am really starting to feel like this is doable and actually beginning to enjoy it!
 

Tomorrow will be time to start listing on ebay again…

House_buyer125

Well done putting a SOA together, looks good. Few comments:

- Can you reduce money spent on presents? 
- Can you reduce / stop dog training?
- You could try reduce the mobile bills, take a look in here www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheap-mobile-finder/sim-only/
- You need something for car maintenance and MOT

Good luck, you've got this!